02/01/2013

And it's not me! It is Colin the dog and Ted the cat, they're keeping a close watch in case something falls to the floor.

Tomorrow is my 60th birthday so Larry is cooking up beef stroganoff and Hungrian goulash for dinner tomorrow night. We're having a dinner party for 6 with dessert, from Downtown bakery, for 10. I just brought up the wine from the cellar, 2 Pinot's and a Zin plus some Proseco to start. Looking forward to the festivities.

01/16/2013

In a fit of movie madness I saw 2 different films this week. Saturday my friend and I saw The Impossible then today Larry and I went with another couple and saw Argo. I recommend both of the highly.

The Impossible is about a family that was involved in the tsunami in Thailand. To go into it further would give away the plot. Let's just say miracles do happen. Argo is about the 6 embassy employees caught in Iran during the 1980 overtaking of the American embassy. Again, miracles do happen.

I came across this link on Facebook. It's about sexting, young women and young men. It's also about self respect on both sides of the equation. I can't explain it nearly as eloquently as the writer of the piece so go read it.

10/15/2012

I fear Romney/Ryan being elected, it keeps me awake at night. I fear for my health, safety and happiness and that of my family and friends.

I fear what could happen to the Supreme Court, especially with Robert Bork as an advisor on the Court.

I fear my 21 year old niece, an engineering student will leave college and enter a business world where it's OK that she is paid less than a man doing the same job. A world where her rights to control her own body have been rolled back 50 years.

I fear that my 23 and 24 year old nephews will continue to mature in a world where these things are perfectly acceptable.

I fear people will have no safety net, no food, housing or health care because millionaires need another budget cut.

I fear that the next generation, those who are supposed to take care of us are growing up illiterate and uninformed in a world where education is considered a joke. Shouldn't they come out of school knowing how to read, do simple math, reason, articulate? Shouldn't they be exposed to real science, art, music, literature?

I fear that the economy will collapse because Wall Street will be further deregulated.

I fear that environmental laws will be reversed, earth science and climate change dismissed as "science" therefore not to be believed.

I fear that because he has no forgien policy experince and his advisors are Bush II advisors we will be rushed into a war with Iran, have troops thrown in Syria, piss off China, Russia and the rest of the known world..

10/07/2012

We spent part of the afternoon at the 2012 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. It is a showcase for the county's agriculture that features an extensive winetasting. Grapes from the wine must come from Sonoma County and no where else. Each year there is a sweepstake winner for best red and best white. It doesn't have to be a specific varietal. This year the Sweepstakes white is Angeline Sauvignon Blanc. It's a lovely wine. The Sweepstakes red is Pezzi King row 26 Zinfandel. OMG it's a happening in your nose, mouth and down your throat, a winner from beginning to end.

Larry decided since my 60th birthday is coming up that we should buy a bottle of my favorite wine from the HF and stash it until February. First my choice was Gloria Ferrer Rose Brut at $45. But one taste of the Pezzi King and the contest was over. We headed out to our favorite wine store Bottle Barn to snag a bottle. We had heard that there was a limited supply so we were hoping they had some left. Indeed they did but you have to ask for it because they keep it in the back, rationed as it were. We left with our bottle of wine for $47 instead of the listed $50.

Bottle Barn is well known for having wine at less than winery price. Of course you can find many places with less than winery price but Bottle Barn has an amazing selection of all price level wines. Not a paid advertisement.

10/05/2012

Borrowed from Gil Gross, Newstalk 910 radio:

Hi, I’m Jim Lehrer from the News Hour, which if Mitt Romney gets a hold of it would be the News Ten Minutes, much of it a Waltons’ special where the family reunites and eats a holiday dinner of stuffed roasted Big Bird, not to mention what will happen to that Little red Elmo.Tonight’s debate will be divided into 5 parts. The first 15 minutes will be about the economy and that will last approximately 45 minutes. The second part will also be about the economy and you won’t be able to tell the difference between that and the first part. This will go on also for 15 minutes if Einstein’s theory of relativity is correct and you travel 7 times the speed of light in which case it will seem like only 15 minutes have gone by, although when you land you will be witnessing live coverage of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which by the way, I also moderated.The third part of the debate will feature me haplessly trying to end the second part of the debate by making faces and maniacally shaking my fists and then rolling about on the floor in a vain attempt to get attention.In the 4th part of the debate I will leave the stage, go downstairs to the vending machine, get a Nestle’s Crunch bar and stand there eating it until someone misses me and comes downstairs looking for me.In the 5th part of the debate, we will change topics from the economy to the economy and I will ask questions while the candidates walk all over me and then start jumping up and down on my sad prostrate form while chanting “don’t pile on the rabbit.”The final part of the debate will be a spinoff of Modern Family where I will play addled but lovable Uncle Ernie who tries to separate a bickering gay interracial couple who constantly argue about the truth of things they just make up.We ask the audience to not laugh, cry, applaud, boo, pay attention, stay awake, or wonder what they’re missing right now on the Food Network.Each candidate will have 2 minutes to answer a question I ask that will be so broad and nonspecific that it could not possibly be answered in 7 hours. Then the other candidate will have 1 minute to think of ways to extend is answer by 10 minutes.If a candidate goes over the time limit I will sit here as still as I can like a cat who sees a carrier taken out of the closet and knows he’ll be taken to the vet if anyone notices him. If anyone cries out, “hey Jim, wake up”, I’ll wait until some other guy named Jim in the audience says something. It’s the nice thing about being named Jim. There’s always another Jim.After the 5 parts of the debate each of you will have two minutes to mock me, answer something I never asked or snuff out cigarettes on my forehead.Before we start I want to thank the University of Denver for allowing me to be in such a beautiful and peaceful place to see my career die. I feel something like Edward G Robinson in Soylent Green.Now the first question goes to President Obama who has sent an empty shell of a body to the debate tonight. Mr. President, since whatever I ask you’re going to prattle on about your anniversary anyway, let me just ask you, do you wish your wife a happy anniversary or not.Governor Romney, you’ll then have the chance to ask President Obama about his anniversary, and then you’ll each have however long you want to throw out random made up numbers.I’m Jim Lehrer. Just let me know when the guy from Domino’s shows up.

09/27/2012

I recently discovered by way of the tv show Parenthood that my breast cancer journey is not yet over. Last week at the end of the show one of the main characters was diagnosed with breast cancer. I immediately started crying and proceeded to cry through the previews for the next show. I remember telling Larry I didn't know if I'd be able to watch this week's show. Fortunately I had an appt with Dr. Sanity before the show.

I hadn't been able to figure out why the character's diagnosis hit me so profoundly. Talking with Dr. Sanity I realized I'd never cried when I was diagnoses. I was too shocked to cry and was immediately thrown into the medical model where feelings aren't covered very well.

I was able to watch this week's episode, there was enough humor to offset the drama. But it was very creepy when Kristina (the character) was told her tumor was small and up against the chest wall because that's exactly what I was told.

It's now been six years and 4 months since I was diagnosed and I'm just learning the journey has yet to end. So now I'll walk through a different part of my journey, recalling the past but looking toward the future.